It was Tony's annual Latin Lunch. This year a group of us gathered at La Mexicana. Lunch became dinner because we didn't order until 4:30PM. We were busy catching up over cocktails while playing Lotera!

If you're going to run 26.2 miles, 13.1 miles, or even a 3 mile jaunt, you want the morning to look this with low temps:

And so, this was my view from The Calvinator's Upper Kirby Crib on the morning of the Chevron Houston Marathon & Aramco Houston Half Marathon. The Crib is just a few short steps from Mile 6. Eminem has 8 Mile, I have Mile 6. And this is how I saw it that day. If you want to see my tweets, follow me on Twitter @absolutrunnr

Friday, January 22, 2016

I went looking for inspiration and ended up spending my money. The expo for the Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Half-Marathon is always one of the best expos. I went there hoping that something would inspire me to run and well...

It is nice to go to the expo without the anticipation churning in my stomach of having to run a full or half marathon the next day.

Later that day, I donned a tux and made my way to the ERISCSS Coronation at Hilton-Post Oak. However, before I was in the presence of royalty, I joined Chree and Lynne at RDG for some bubbly and lite bites.

Sometimes it pays to look up. This is in the lobby of the Hilton-Post Oak.

As well traveled as I am, there are still parts of Texas and even the greater Houston area, that I have never visited. And so, I found myself in Highlands, TX, for a groundbreaking ceremony at Chinquapin Prepatory School. My friend Marilu Garza is the Development Director and invited. I'm glad I went because it made aware of the good work they are doing in Highlands, TX

This is a photo I snapped before I headed to bed. It was all quiet in The Calvinator's 'hood. It isn't always.

Because Houston has such a diverse economy, people work what many of us would consider unconventional hours. The refineries, the medical workers, and even companies that have their global headquarters here, have people working around the clock.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Sunday evening I fell asleep watching The Golden Globes. I awakened, turned off the telly and went to bed.

When I awakened on Monday morning, my newsfeed was filled with tributes to David Bowie. He died on Sunday evening after a bout with cancer. It was not publicly known that he was ill. And even more bizarre, on his birthday, January 8, he dropped a new album with a song titled Lazarus.

I only saw David Bowie perform once. It was in Dallas at Reunion Arena on October 10, 1987, when his Glass Spider Tour came to town. As expected it was a great show. Here is the set list from that evening.

One of my all time favorite lyrics is from Let's Dance. It is, "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues."

I heard someone on the telly talking about why we mourn people we've never met (in the context of artists, musicians, actors, etc.). And what they said made sense. It's because these people shared their talent and took us to another place. And such was the case with the incomparable, David Bowie.

A real Facebook friend of mine shared this on her page. I had never seen it. You'll love it!

There's a restaurant by The Calvinator's Crib that for as long as I can remember changes it marquee on regular basis and usually I don't understand it. Most of the time it is in response to its neighbors, Little Pappasito's or Pappadeaux's. So when I saw this sign it made me chuckle because I actually understood it.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

And considering the score, it didn't happen. The Texans lost to the Chiefs 0-30. Even when that guy ran 106 yards on the opening kick-off and scored, I really believed it was going to get better, and it didn't. I guess there is always next year.

January 6 marks the end of the Christmas Season. It's the 12th Day Of Christmas, The Epiphany, The Feast of The Three Kings, the beginning of Mardi Gras Season. And on this day, King Cake can officially be consumed.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Which means that the Mystery & Fantasy Mardi Gras Party is almost here. Because I was out of town on Sunday, I was unable to get the invitations, so Ken retrieved mine for me. I had an EPAH Board Meeting and went to his place to get them.

Saying goodbye seems so final. See you later means you'll see the person at another point in time. And such was the case on Monday, when family and friends gathered at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Ft. Worth for the funeral Mass for Ralph Guereca, Jr. Uncle Ralph is one of my mother's siblings.

The previous evening, family and friends gathered at Mt. Olivet Funeral Home for a rosary and wake. It was in the same room as my dad's rosary.

It had been a long time since I'd been in St. Andrew's. I think the last time I was there was for a wedding. It made think how a church can be a gathering place for good times and bad. It is also the church where my high school junior class had Mass on Ring Day. #memories

Following the Mass, we proceeded to Mt. Olivet Cemetery when many friends and relatives are buried. It brought back memories from my dad's funeral in November 2011. And like my dad, Uncle Ralph was a military veteran. Along with this comes the honor of having a flag draped on the coffin and presented to the family. It's very moving. When the flag was presented, the presenter, on one knee said, "On behalf of the President of the United States and the people of a grateful nation, may I present this flag as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service your loved one rendered this nation."

Following the internment, we took my mom back to the house. I loaded up The Cal Mobile, got The Calvinator and we were on our way back to H-town with a stop in West.

Earlier in the week when I was returning back from Ft. Worth, I received a phone call from sister telling me that one of my uncle's had died. He had been ill for awhile.

The funeral was scheduled for January 4 so...I loaded up The Calvinator and headed back to Ft. Worth on Sunday. The entrance to Westpark Tollway isn't too far from The Crib and even though traffic was probably going to be light, I decided to go ahead and take the Westpark to the Grand Parkway...and we were on our way.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

I've decided to stop calling it Pic Of The Day. Why? Well, when I take a photo, what I see in the viewfinder is what I see and how I see it. Or...when I screen capture something (a quote, a photo, etc.), I may be seeing someone's opinion that I share. I'll still label pic of the day but will do away with pics of the day labels.

So...what did I see on January 1? I saw a bundle of balloons at Kroger on Studemont. It screamed Happy New Year!

Kroger was just one of many stops for the day: FIT; Fiesta; H-E-B; a New Year Day's brunch; DSW; and Sports Authority. I so needed to do laundry because I was heading back to Ft. Worth on Sunday but I just-didn't-have-the-energy after I made a batch of Jambalaya and Posole. the crib smelled really good

I think I have determined that I really enjoy spending New Year Day with friends more than I ever enjoyed spending New Year's Eve out and about. There is some sort of faux expectation that accompanies New Year's Eve. I have a hard time explaining it. Plus, it's never fun starting the new year with a hangover.

Let's face it. I'm not as young as I used to be and I feel my energy level dropping. I fall asleep in a chair watching the telly. I end up dropping my phone and/or my glasses. I've determined that scrolling through Instagram or Facebook is hypnotizing and can put me to sleep.

If you've been following me for awhile, you know that I have gotten way behind with my posts. For the most part, I've been taking the picture(s) of the day and then playing catch up. Also, if you've been following me, you know that I attend St. Anne Catholic Church in Houston and typically once a month I help with a 5:00PM Mass.

I guess it was appropriate that the year ended with me back at church on the evening of 12/31/15, as an extraordinary minister for the 6:00PM Mass. Some people know that January 1 is recognized in the Roman Catholic Church as The Solemnity of Mary and is a holy day of obligation. New Year's Day is not a holy day of obligation.

I was quite content being at church on the evening of 12/31/15. It seems that toward the end of the year, the were numerous deaths within the families of my circle of friends. There were also many people who became ill. The prayer list has been long. So rather than makes plans to be out with the amateurs, I went home after Mass; after counting my blessings.

The Christmas decor was still up. This church is so beautiful on the inside, it really doesn't need much decor. And all through Mass, I kept staring at the poinsettias so I thought I would share that with you.

For over a year, I have wondered, "Is Fat Bao any good?" I had a hankering for Asian food but there isn't really anything fast on the way home and if I went to some place fast, then I have to go out of my way which offsets going to some place fast. Makes sense, right?

So...on my way to some place fast but out of the way, I decided to go to Fat Bao which is next door to The Calvinator's Crib. It took me a few minutes to figure out the menu but then I discovered the lunch special. I ended up with chicken and pork belly and homemade potato chips. #notbad

Monday, January 4, 2016

Well this is embarrassing. I don't have a photo of the day and I really can't remember what I did. I know I went to work. I know I ran some errands after work. I've looked at my calendar and it is blank. I know I walked Calvin three times. I guess all in all it was a good day(?).

The Calvinator loves cold weather. Here he is facing north with his snout into the breeze...just in case you were wondering which way the wind was blowing. The front that caused bad weather in the north Texas area, caught up with us in Houston on Sunday evening.

Sunday, January 3, 2016

I made it back in time to fulfill my monthly obligation of assisting at the 5:00PM Mass at St. Anne. As usual, the church looked beautiful with all of the Christmas decor.

And let's not forget the reason for the season.

And, speaking of all things spiritual not really but it sounds good, my guardian angel was working overtime on the drive back to Houston from Ft. Worth. I know I drove through 3 of the 4 seasons and it wasn't pleasant.

We were last here about a month ago. Pouring rain. Flooding. This was quite the contrast. Crisp clear morning.

I spent the afternoon cooking additional sides to accompany the traditional tamales. And, while cooking and preparing for the evening, I realized I had left a present at home and ventured out to Target.

Caught my breath, changed clothes and we were off to 5:30PM Mass at St. George Catholic Church.

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